Welcome to the Weekend Report, where iGB covers the news that you may have missed over Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This week, we look at an FBI arrest in DC, as well as a California bill that would allow tribes to sue cardrooms.
FBI takes DC Councilman Trayon White into custody
DC Councilman Trayon White was arrested by the FBI on Sunday (18 August) afternoon, according to the City Paper. White will be charged on Monday (19 August), although what the charges are have not yet been disclosed.
In 2019, the DC Council approved legal sports betting and gave lottery operator Intralot the sole-source contract. White was absent on the day of the 2019 vote. He voted to approve the FY2025 budget that opened the market earlier this year.
Bill that would allow tribes to sue CA cardrooms moves
A bill that would allow California’s tribes to directly sue cardrooms moved forward late last week. The assembly’s appropriations committee voted, 14-0, to send the bill to the floor for a full vote. It’s not clear if SB 549 will get a vote with two weeks remaining in the current session.
The tribes have long contended that the cardrooms are encroaching on their exclusivity to gambling by using player-dealer companies. According to state law, when playing at a cardroom, players are not playing against the house; they are playing against each other and the dealer position rotates among players. But cardrooms use player-dealer companies because most players don’t want to be the bank. The bill would allow the tribes to seek legal recourse against the cardrooms and the third-party providers.
California’s cardrooms contend that they are acting within the law and that, should the bill pass, jobs would be lost and some cardrooms would go out of business. In many of the cities where they operate, the cardrooms are a key tax driver. The bill passed a third reading in the senate, 37-0, in May 2023.
More betting woe for Drake
Rapper Drake suffered more disappointment with his betting antics, losing a reported $450,000 wager on a UFC bout over the weekend.
Drake backed Israel Adesanya to beat Dricus du Plessis at UFC 305 for a return of around $850,000. However, du Plessis came out on top in the fight, leaving Drake out of pocket once again.
The latest loss will do nothing for Drake’s reputation of bad luck when placing large wagers on sports events. This dates back to 2014 when he lost out backing US tennis icon Serena Williams at the US Open, only for her to lose to unseeded Roberta Vinci in the semi-finals.
Arrests made in raid on illegal online gambling operation in Taipei
Meanwhile, in Asia, police arrested 31 people for their part in an illegal online gambling operation in the Neihu District of Taipei.
The Taipei Times reports executives and staff working at an IT company were arrested during a raid, with this being confirmed by Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) officials.
A Chinese man and his Taiwanese wife headed the operation, registered under the name Care Well Technology Co. It is reported the couple, who previously worked as software engineers, hired more than 100 people as part of their operation.
In other news…
iGaming Ontario chief Martha Otton will retire on 31 December 2024, the agency announced on 15 August. Otton oversaw the launch of legal digital gambling in Ontario in 2022. She also worked for the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario and the provincial attorney-general’s office.
Hard Rock Las Vegas requested a three-year waiver of its gaming licence while it revamps the former Mirage site, reported the Las Vegas Review-Journal late last week. Clark County law requires that it could suspend a licence if a licensee does not meet conditions, unless the licensee shows cause.
Fanatics has launched in Louisiana, extending its reach across the US. The brand is operating in partnership with the Boomtown Casino & Hotel, with players in the state now able to download the Fanatics sportsbook. Fanatics is now active in 22 states in the US.
